


Hidden Meanings

by Violett92



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrinette, Akuma causes hanahaki disease, Cat tendencies, Eventual reveal, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Gabriel Agreste’s A+ Parenting, Hanahaki Disease, Identity Reveal, LadyNoir - Freeform, Light Angst, Marichat, Not as angsty as it looks I swear, Rated For Violence, also an unhealthy amount of puns, ladybug tendencies, not quite an AU but sort of
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-30
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-01-13 01:51:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21236174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Violett92/pseuds/Violett92
Summary: When an akuma with a penchant for flowers leaves Ladybug feeling like her heart’s been crushed, she assumes her miraculous cure will be the solution. After all, it fixes everything, right?Wrong.Marinette’s coughing up blood, followed by Chat, followed by the majority of her class, followed by a good chunk of Paris.Bodies are dropping, flowers are growing, and Ladybug and Chat are running out of time to find a solution.





	1. Ladybug At Heart

**Author's Note:**

> I’ll probably go back and change the title later. It was a last second decision.
> 
> Anyway, this might be my first ML fic, and also the first fic I’ve written in 6 years, so bear (bare?) with me. 
> 
> Also, please note that while this fic starts off a little angsty, it does not remain that way. I’m not a fan of the super-long-and-super-intense angst trope, but you have to understand that these children are being faced with a life threatening illness that professionals and parents both have zero clue how to fix. Give them a bit of time to accept that’s going on and come to terms with it before you attack them for being a little upset.
> 
> I’ll edit and apply tags and characters as new chapters are written.

_The Amaryllis flower, also known as the ‘Naked Lady’, blooms during the spring and summer seasons. These flowers attract moths and—_

Alya’s loud groan pierced through the silence and she slumped back against the chaise, halting Marinette’s thought process. “This is so _boring_.”

Nino laughed from his lounge above her and reached down to pat her head. She swatted the accusing hand away with a scowl, but he continued his pursuit, undeterred.

“Isn’t this good practice for a career in journalism?” Adrien asked, raising his head from the book they’d all been passing around for their group project.

Marinette had been far too busy staring at the back of Adrien’s head in class to remember what the project was for, but Alya ran her through a quick explanation before the boys arrived for their weekend study date. Research the folklore and detailed history behind six different species of flowers, and make a presentation to present to the class at the end of the week.

Alya raised an incredulous brow. “Live-streaming an akuma attack would be good practice for a journalism career, not researching the hidden meanings of _flowers_.”

Marinette pouted, slightly offended Alya’s tone. Call her a true ladybug all you want, but it wasn’t just her miraculous’ tendencies rubbing off on her that formed her love for all things nature. She catered for the plants on her balcony long before Tikki arrived in her life with a magical box and a pair of earrings. “What’s wrong with flowers? I _like_ flowers.”

Alya patted Marinette’s head like Nino had her own not a minute before. ”We know you do, sweetie.”

Marinette let her shoulders sink and crossed her arms with puffed cheeks and a scrunched nose, but Adrien’s laugh chiming through the air like the echo of a bell instantly perked her up from Alya’s teasing. Alya shot her a knowing look that poor, sweet, oblivious Adrien was completely unaware of, but Marinette pointedly ignored it.

Thankfully, Nino saved her from more teasing by sitting up on her chaise and suggesting, “Why don’t we take a break? We’ve been working on this project for hours and I’m starting to get a cramp.”

To Marinette, a break sounded like an amazing idea. While she didn’t mind the work so much, she was tired of sitting in her bedroom for hours on end, staring at a piece of paper. Were it not for the frigid, winter air outside, she would’ve suggested working on their project in the park near the bakery. 

As it were, working outside would be more uncomfortable for Marinette than any one of her friends. Tikki often complained about her desire to hibernate to avoid the chilly season, and while Marinette didn’t share the sentiment, she did share Tikki’s distaste for the cold. Just the thought of it sinking into her bones and burning her skin made her shiver violently.

Ladybugs hated winter, and Marinette had always been a ladybug at heart.

Alya’s eyebrows shot to her hairline as she laughed, the sound pulling Marinette from her icy thoughts. “_We_ have been working on our project; _you_ have been taking brief cat naps since we started!”

Adrien’s poorly veiled snicker was missed by everyone but Marinette, but she couldn’t find the joke that left a mischievous glint in his eyes from Alya’s comment. 

She didn’t have much time to dwell on it when Nino let out an indignant cry of, “Dude, I was not!”

Alya twisted around to face him with folded arms, a teasing smile on her lips. “You were working?” she asked incredulously.

“I _totally_ was.” He gave a sharp nod, as if the action alone was enough to make his girlfriend drop the subject.

It wasn’t.

“Oh, no,” Adrien muttered. He used his arms to push his stomach off the floor and shifted until his legs were outstretched in front of him, leaning back on his palms. His smile stretched into a grin as he stared at the couple. “This should be good.”

Marinette wholeheartedly disagreed.

Alya’s eyebrows raised even higher, if possible. She leaned forward and extended a hand expectantly. “Let me see it, then.”

Nino stiffened and not-so-subtly pulled his notebook closer to him. “Uh, I thought we were going to take a break?”

“Oh, no, you’re not getting out of this that easily.”

It was Marinette’s turn to groan as Alya leapt onto the chaise to wrestle the book from Nino’s arms. Adrien laughed while Marinette whined, “No fornicating on my chaise!” Neither of them registered a word she said, so she settled for another groan and closed her notebook, placing it in the pile in the circle of books, scattered papers, and printed photos of various flowers that Adrien, Marinette, and Alya had created before the latter decided violence was the answer to all her problems.

Marinette waved for Adrien to follow as she stood. He obediently climbed to his feet. “Where are we going?” he asked.

“To see if we can find any snacks in the kitchen.” She turned back to Alya and Nino’s wrestling match as Adrien closed his book and set it in the pile beside Marinette’s. “If I see even one article of clothing removed when I get back up here, I’ll ban you two from bakery sweets for a week!”

Both parties froze at the mention of sweets.

With wide, incredulous eyes, Nino whispered, “You wouldn’t.”

Marinette nodded, struggling to keep a straight face as she mocked, “I _totally_ would.”

She wouldn’t, but she wasn’t going to admit that to the couple of hormone ridden teenagers. While she didn’t envy Alya’a violent tendencies, she did envy her friends’ relationship.

Marinette wanted somebody to hold her when the weather gets cold and leaves her feeling fragile and fatigued. She wanted somebody who would sit down and drink a cup of hot chocolate while watching her favorite fashion shows. She wanted somebody to show off her designs to, and maybe even somebody to model them when she finally brings them from paper to fabric. She wanted somebody to tell her when she’s obsessing over nothing, and comfort her when that nothing really is something worth obsessing over. She wanted somebody to argue with, then make up and cuddle with under her comforter because they truly loved each other. Because nothing could tear them apart.

Marinette was lonely, and while she was ecstatic her friends had found themselves in a happy, healthy relationship, she finds herself feeling down with the reminder of her own lacking in a stable love-life. Or any love-life, for that matter.

Alya rolled off of Nino with her laughter while he sulked and muttered something about women turning against him.

Adrien let out a few chuckles of his own, and Marinette locked up when it hit her just how close he was standing beside her. Heat rises to her cheeks and she _swore _she could feel the warmth radiating from just his arm at this proximity. “I’d listen to her, if I were you,” he said, a smile like the sun lighting up his face. “Her parents’ baked goods are too amazing to pass up.”

Marinette hid her darkened cheeks by bending to open the trap door and climbing down with Adrien in tow. When they finally reached the kitchen, they found her maman on her toes, arm outstretched into one of the cabinets.

Adrien reached over her head to pluck the box she was looking for off the shelf, and she sent him a grateful smile as she took it. “Thank you, Adrien. Are you staying for dinner?”

Adrien winced, but Marinette felt the heat flood right back into her cheeks. “I’m not sure about Alya and Nino, but I can’t. My driver will be here to pick me up in an hour.”

Thank god, Adrien thought she was asking if _all_ of them could stay for dinner. Marinette knew the truth of her maman’s scheming. She’d learned when they first met Chat Noir and her parents wouldn’t stop raving about wanting kittens. And that was only in front of Chat—Marinette would sooner die than let her parents embarrass her in front of _Adrien_.

Sabine waved him off. “Nonsense, dear, that’s plenty of time to eat. I’ll make sure the food is ready before you need to leave.”

Adrien rubbed the back of his neck with a lopsided smile that left Marinette’s heart racing and said, “Thank you, Mme. Cheng.” Sabine shot a warning look, so he cleared his throat and corrected, “Ah, I mean, Sabine.”

Marinette laughed and felt a little sorry for Adrien. She may have been a small woman, but her maman could be intense when she wanted to be.

Sabine nodded to herself and turned to Marinette with the smile back on her face. “Were you looking for something?”

“I was hoping to find some snacks,” Marinette admitted.

Sabine gestured toward her daughter’s room. “I’ll let Tom know and have him bring up a plate. I’ll call for you when dinner’s ready.”

Marinette thanked her, and as they headed back upstairs, she wondered if she could talk Adrien into staying for dinner on a regular basis. Alya and Nino had stayed plenty of times, but Adrien always had to leave before her maman had time to cook. She sometimes wondered if it really was just a case of bad luck, or if he didn’t really _want_ to stay for dinner. Maybe he felt uncomfortable? 

When they reached Marinette’s room, she was a little surprised to see Alya and Nino simply sitting beside each other on the chaise, but the surprise melted away when she caught them talking in hushed tones. She especially wasn’t surprised when they spun around like they’d been caught with their hands in the cookie jar at the sound of the trapdoor opening.

She narrowed her eyes as she climbed up. “What are you two up to?”

Alya raised her eyebrows and looked pointedly at Adrien climbing in after Marinette, and her face flushed as her thoughts were confirmed. Alya was scheming. Of course she was scheming. Marinette shot Alya a look that said, _we’ll talk later_, and covered by saying, “Maman wants to know if you’re both staying for dinner.”

Alya nodded, their previous conversation forgotten for the time being. “Can I stay the night, too?”

Marinette smiled. “Of course. Nino?”

He shrugged. “I don’t have anywhere else to be, and Mme. Cheng’s cooking is the best.” At Alya’s haughty expression, Nino coughed and corrected, “Aside from your mom’s, of course.”

Alya huffed, but Nino leaned over to press a kiss to her cheek and she had to shove him away by the shoulder to hide her smile. His triumphant grin said she clearly failed, but just as Alya opened her mouth to say something, they heard an ear piercing scream from somewhere outside the bakery.

Marinette let out a heavy sigh, and then stiffened when she realized she had no way to leave and transform with Alya, Nino, and Adrien in her room.

Luck must have been on her side—good or bad, she wasn’t sure—because Alya perked up and yelled, “Akuma!”

She leapt off the chaise and snatched her phone from Marinette’s desk, wasting no time before taking off through the trapdoor, Nino shouting, “Alya!” exasperatedly and chasing after her.

Marinette looked at her last obstacle, scrambling for an excuse to leave the safety of her own home until he winced and jerked a thumb over his shoulder. There was a concern in his eyes and something else—excitement?—that warmed her heart but leafy her with a wave of sadness at the same time. _Why doesn’t he ever look at me like that?_ “I’m going to go after them. Will you be okay here?” he asked her.

She nodded because she doesn’t trust her words, and barely a second later, Adrien disappeared through her trapdoor. She stared after him much longer than she probably should have, she knew, but found it hard not to. She’d been doing so good lately. She barely stuttered when he spoke to her, and she found herself a lot more steady on her feet when he was around. She was _proud_ of herself, but she still couldn’t bring herself to tell him how she truly felt.

Tikki floated up and hovered at eye level, her own flooded with concern rivaling Adrien’s. “Marinette?” she questioned.

Marinette shook herself out of her reverie and nodded. _Right. Akuma first, feelings later_. “I’m ready. Tikki, spots on!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ATTENTION: 
> 
> Yes, Marinette is pining. Yes, it’s excessive. There’s a reason for that, and it ends in a chapter or two. I wrote this chapter to sort of establish where her feelings are at in the beginning, but it’s mostly to set you up for what’s going to happen in what should be two chapters or so, if my calculations are correct.
> 
> Also, does this chapter feel stiff to you? I don’t know if it’s writer’s block or what, but a good portion of this chapter just felt stiff and monotone while I was writing it. I’ll try to go back and edit it if you guys think it needs it—I’m probably just tired and it’s showing. It is 2am, after all.


	2. A Cat Nap

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m sure you’ve noticed I updated the chapter count from unknown to 18. I’m switching chapters based off of POV, but a few characters run long and may be split into two chapters focused on either Marinette or Adrien. If that happens, it may be closer to 20 chapters (unless I come up with some more subplot).

As soon as Adrien burst through the door of the Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie, he took a quick glance at his surroundings and darted around the corner into the nearest alley. When he was sure nobody followed him, he pulled open his overshirt for his Kwami.

Plagg groaned the moment he realized they weren’t in the calm safety of Adrien’s bedroom. “I was in a middle of a really good nap.”

Adrien grinned. “A cat nap?”

Unsurprisingly, Plagg completely ignored the comment. “Do you have cheese?”

By way of response, Adrien patted his pocket. “Ready?” Plagg groaned again, but it was enough of a yes for Adrien to yell, “Plagg, claws out!”

A wave of warmth followed the blinging, green light of his transformation. He pulled his baton from behind his back and vaulted onto the roof of the bakery. A flash of red a few buildings away caught his eye and he followed with little hesitation until he landed gracefully beside his scarlet partner. 

“Evening, M’lady,” he greeted with a flourishing bow.

Her smile was small, but his heart still sped at the look in her eyes. She was happy to see him. “Evening,  _ Chaton_.”

He straightened and nodded his chin toward the akuma. “What do we have here?”

“It looks like a flower-based akuma. I haven’t seen enough to know what she can do.”

With a shrug of his shoulders, Chat let a mischievous grin grace his face. “Let’s find out.”

He didn’t need to see her to picture the roll of her eyes before she followed behind him. Chat pulled his baton from behind his back and braced himself for attack as he landed a few feet away from the akuma victim, Ladybug beside him with her yo-yo spinning. It took a minute for the victim—a woman in her mid to late twenties, covered in green from head-to-toe—to notice them. Her eloquent dress flowed around her ankles as she spun to face them, her smile more sinister than pleasant. “Ladybug, Chat Noir! What a pleasant surprise. I’d like your Miraculouses.” 

Chat grinned. “_Unfurtunately _for you, they’re not for sale.” 

He cast a sideways glance at Ladybug just in time to see her fond smile. “If you tell us where your akuma is, we can help you,” she said. “There’s no reason to fight.”

The akuma victim growled. “I am Chrysanthe-Mom, and your Miraculous is mine.” With a wave of her arm, the ground beneath them cracked as vines crawled through the slits, flowers sprouting quickly from the growing buds. This time, she waved her warm toward the heroes, and the vines followed suit.

Chat and Ladybug leap away in opposite directions before the vines could wind themselves around their ankles. The attack was quick, but much slower than the duo was used to. This akuma would be a piece of cake.

“So much for doing this peacefully,” Ladybug muttered. She glanced back at to her partner and nodded when she was sure she had his attention.

“That can’t  _pawsibly _be the best you have,” Chat teased, receiving her message loud and clear. He needed to create a distraction so she could search for the akumatized object.

Chrysanthe-Mom tipped her head, beady eyes focused on Chat.  _ Good, that’s what we need__._ “I’m just warming up!”

Chat was pleased to see the majority of vines focused on him rather than Ladybug when Chrysanthe-Mom swiped her arm through the air with a snarl. A few more puns, taunts, and dodging vines later, and Ladybug still hadn’t found the akuma. At his desperate look, she gave a frantic shake of her head.

Holding back a strained sigh, Chat jammed his baton into an incoming rose. He plastered a teasing grin on his face with no feeling behind it. His thighs were burning, and he really didn’t want to spend the rest of his evening fighting an akuma that made him want to sneeze. “You seem a little angry,” he called out. “Are you  _ feline __bouquet_?”

Chrysanthe-Mom didn’t acknowledge his pun, her focus just past his shoulder. A vine shot out to follow her gaze, and Chat’s stomach dropped when he realized he’d lost her focus. She was going after Ladybug.

“No!” He spun on his heel and leapt the moment he spotted red. His body slammed into hers with a crash, his hand cradling the back of his her head, and twisted mid-air so he could take the brunt of the damage. They narrowly avoided the attack that more than likely would’ve impaled the love of his life if he hadn’t moved quick enough. 

Ladybug raised herself from Chat’s chest with a groan, but he’s suddenly more concerned with the way her thighs bracket his hips, much higher than their usual landings. She sent him a questioning look when she noticed his flaming cheeks, then squeaked and leapt away like he’d burned her. “S-S-Sorry!” 

He swallowed his heart and grinned. She knew him well enough by now to know it was forced, but she didn’t comment on it. “It looks like you’ve finally  _ fallen _ for me, Bugaboo.” 

She let out a loud groan. “Don’t call me Bugaboo!” Chat laughed, but their joking was cut shored by Ladybug’s muffled curse. “Where did the akuma go?”

Chat propped himself up on his elbows to look around, but the only sign of Chrysanthe-Mom were the various plants sprouting through the broken concrete. “Split up?” 

Ladybug climbed to her feet with a nod. “She couldn’t have gone far. I’ll head toward The Louvre. Call me if you find her.” 

“Will do, Bug,” he called as she threw out her yo-yo and swung away. If he stared a little longer than he should’ve, she’d never know.

Chat climbed to his feet, stretched, and backtracked toward the bakery. He had no way of knowing how they’d find Chrysanthe-Mom in all of Paris without her causing more damage, but figured some of Ladybug’s luck must’ve rubbed off on him when he spotted green up ahead. More vines. She must be close.

He pulled out his baton and dialed Ladybug’s yo-yo, careful to keep an eye on his surroundings in case of an attack. 

“I think I found the akuma,” he said when she finally picked up.

_ ”Where are you?” _

“Near the Dupain-Cheng’s bakery.”

_ “I’m on my way,” _ she said before hanging up.

After hanging up, Chat followed the trail of cracks and vines until he saw groups of civilians clambering over each other to get away. He found her in the middle of the street, a hand on Alya’s cheek, and froze.

He had yet to be touched by the akuma, and decided he definitely didn’t want to be. Never, in all the years he’d fought akumas, had he seen Alya look so genuinely terrified. Tears streamed from her wide, haunted eyes, and his stomach churned. Whatever the akuma did to her, she looked like she was in pure agony.

Refusing to waste any more time, Chat rushed forward, swinging his baton up beneath the akuma’s arm and his friend to break the contact. Alya stumbled back and blinked a few times. “_Leaf _ her alone and pick on somebody your own size,” Chat demanded. 

To his completely shock and overwhelming concern, Alya didn’t move a muscle. Did she  want to go through that again? She should be running away!

He turned to her with a growl. He didn’t have time to deal with Alya. He had a bad feeling about this akuma. “Get out of here, Alya!” 

Her wide eyes shot to him in surprise before she stumbled back, pocketed her phone, and sprinted away with the speed of a gazelle. He hoped she’d find Nino, and made a mental note to check up on her after the attack. Whatever Chrysanthe-Mom did when she touched Alya, it was enough for her to completely ditch her livestream and take off running like her life depended on it—which it very well might have—and if that wasn’t concerning, he didn’t know what was.

A flash of red over Chrysanthe-Mom’s shoulder had him nearly sighing with relief. Now, all he needed to do was keep his attention on the akuma victim and not look at Ladybug. Simple. 

He readied his baton, spinning it protectively in front of him. When Chrysanthe-Mom lunged at him, he took the opportunity to parry with his weapon and take a peak at her back for the akumatized object.  _Nothing out of the ordinary, here_. “All this rolling and dodging is making me a little  _ daisy_.”

Out of his peripheral, Chat spotted Ladybug watching from a nearby rooftop, just before she threw her yo-yo out. It latched onto a streetlight, and Chat nearly cheered. He was getting tired of holding off the akuma by himself, even if he did trust and understand his Lady’s plan-of-action. 

And then his heart nearly left out of his chest when the akuma flicked her wrist, the ground beneath the streetlight cracked, and vines twisted around the metal pole. The light started to fall, yanking Ladybug out of the air with a cry of pain and toward the vines awaiting her inevitable crash. Chat’s breath caught in his lungs, and he vaulted forward.

_ “Ladybug!” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like cliffhangers, can you tell?
> 
> Anyway, your comments and support have been beautiful, and I thank you all so much!
> 
> Also, Adrien totally would’ve seen Ladybug leaping through Marinette’s balcony if he’d just waited, like, ten seconds.


	3. Is That Broccoli?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mild Trigger Warning in this chapter for a distraught, grieving parent (aka the akuma). If this bothers you, I recommend skimming past the heroes talking to the akuma victim.

Ladybug cried out as pain flared through her shoulder, instinctively letting go of her yo-yo. She closed her eyes and braced herself for the oncoming asphalt, but nothing could’ve prepared her for the pain of slamming against the ground at high-speeds, or the burn of tumbling and skidding to a stop a good fifteen feet away from the now-uprooted streetlight. She clenched her eyes shut and sucked a deep breath in through her teeth, trying her hardest to ignore the ache pulsing through her body.

Only too late did she open her eyes to see the akuma reaching toward her. She scrambled to her feet, desperate to get away, but her efforts were in vain. Crystanthe-Mom’s touch was featherlight, a brush of her fingertips against Ladybug’s cheek, but the effect was instantaneous. Her breath caught in her throat as her lungs seized from the crushing weight against her chest. Tears burned in her eyes, begging for release, and she choked on a barely contained sob.  _ I’m dying. I have to be . _

Except, she wasn’t dying. Ladybug knew this feeling; she’d felt it hundreds of times, in much smaller increments. She felt it whenever she noticed Adrien and Kagami sitting just a little too close together, their arms and knees brushing and eyes bright. She felt it every time anyone mentioned Adrien’s secret crush, and every time she set herself up to finally tell him how she really felt, only to be interrupted by outside forces or her own, humiliating clumsiness.

It was heartbreak. Loneliness. Grief.

Crystanthe-Mom sent her a sad smile. “Your love is unrequited, Ladybug. Give me your Miraculous and I’ll take away your pain.”

She was tempted. She was so,  _ so _ tempted just to give it all up, to end the pain. All she could think about was how lonely she felt, pining after Adrien for years only to get nowhere. There was so much hopelessness, but Ladybug knew better.  _ Marinette _ knew better. Paris needed her, and she couldn’t give up now. 

The pain would go away. They just needed to purify the akuma, first.

Using every last bit of strength she could muster, Ladybug yanked herself away from the akuma and her torturous touch. She pushed off in a sprint for the streetlamp and snatched her yo-yo, readying it at her side for battle. It was pure luck that it hadn’t gotten tangled in the vines when the streetlight fell, but she supposed good luck was part of the job description.

Crystanthe-Mom’s gaze darkened. Being away from her already eased the crushing weight in Ladybug’s chest, but it wasn’t completely gone. She swallowed past the thickness in her throat, relieved when her partner landed next to her. 

Concern flashed in his eyes. “Are you  _ feline _ okay, M’lady?”

She gave a short nod. “I’ll be fine as soon as we find her akuma.” 

“I think it’s in her bracelet. I saw it hidden under her left sleeve when she touched you,” he said. “Need another distraction?” Chat’s distractions didn’t do much for this akuma, but Ladybug didn’t have any other ideas. She needed time to call for her Lucky Charm and figure out what to do with it. Barely trusting herself to speak, she settled for another nod. Chat sent her a wink and a grin. “It’s time to end this, once and  _ floral _ . Let’s  _ catnip _ this in the  _ bud _ .” 

As her partner vaulted past the akuma, yelling pun-filled insults, she felt a genuine smile stretch across her face. Leave it to her kitty’s ridiculousness to make her feel better. She’d scold him later for using three puns in a row. For now, she needed a moment to think. 

After pulling herself together, she followed in the direction Chat ran off to, only to find Crystanthe-Mom with a shield of various flowers spinning around her like a protective tornado. With a wave of her hand, a long crack appeared in the road in front of her, followed by long vines with various species of flowers and vines. There was another stalk of something small and green that looked a lot like—

“Wait, is that—is that  _ broccoli _ ?” Chat questioned, just before said plant launched itself at him.

It took a lot of dodging, puns, and an oven mitt as a Lucky Charm before Ladybug finally stomped on Crystanthe-Mom’s charm bracelet, purifying the akuma soon after. She tossed the mitt in the air and called for her cure, but the feeling in her chest didn’t go away. Maybe it just took a while longer, this time? She’d had injuries before that ached for a few days, but her cure had at least eased their pain.

She shoved the thought aside. Now wasn’t the time to worry about her chest pains. They had a victim to take care of. 

“What happened?” the woman asked, a dazed look in her eyes.

“You were akumatized,” Ladybug told her. “Do you have a way home?”

The woman’s eyes widened and glossed over with tears. “Oh god, my baby. _Oh god!”_

Ladybug’s stomach twisted.  _ Heartbreak. Grief. Loneliness_. She had a feeling she knew exactly why this woman was akumatized. She opened her mouth to say something, anything that could help, but the woman took off in a shaky run toward the hospital.

Chat sheathed his baton at his back as he approached, his eyes on the retreating mother. “What was that all about?

“She lost a child,” Ladybug murmured. 

Chat opened his mouth to respond, but the beeping of her earrings cut him off. Instead of speaking, he caught her hand in his and pressed a light kiss to her knuckles. “Until next time, M’lady.”

✦

Marinette barely had time to destransform before Alya burst into her room, followed closely by Nino and Adrien. “Girl, that akuma was intense!”

Alya relayed the full attack to them all in excruciating detail, including how she’d never seen Chat Noir so tense after he’d saved her. Marinette could’ve gone without the reminder of the battle and the pain that came with it, but she kept that thought to herself, and eventually Adrien and Nino had to leave for their respective homes. 

Alya spoke a little longer about the akuma attack and Chat Noir having saved her before the two friends settled into an easy silence, Alya using Marinette’s computer to check the Ladyblog and latter working silently on her designs. 

“I want to talk about Adrien.”

Marinette groaned. “I don’t. I’m not sure I can handle your scheming right now.”

The blogger shook her head. “No scheming.”

Marinette soared a suspicious glance up at her friend. “Then what were you and Nino talking about?”

Alya closed out of the Ladyblog and took a seat beside Marinette on the chaise, peaking at the design she’d messily sketched out. “Marinette, we think it’s time you move on from Adrien.”

Marinette stiffened, immediately on the defensive. “What?”

Alya held her hands placatingly between them before Marinette had the chance to start yelling. “Just hear me out.” She lowered her hands and took Marinette’s silence as a sign to continue. “I’m all for you and Adrien finally dating, don’t get me wrong, but you can’t get yourself to talk to him. I’ve been talking with Nino a lot about this, and we think the reason you stumble around him is because you idolize him.” 

Marinette opened her mouth to argue, but faltered when her gaze landed on empty wall behind her, where she’d taken down the embarrassing poster of Adrien covered in little hearts so he wouldn’t see. She suddenly felt as if the universe was chiding her. In a small voice, she said, “I actually know him, Alya. I’m not just another model-obsessed fan girl.”

Alya shifted closer with a sigh, linking her arm through Marinette’s. “No, I know, girl. I just think your crush on him is blocking you from being his friend, first. I’m not telling you to move on to somebody else, or forever, but I think it would be healthy for you to take a break from all the extravagant plans to get Adrien to notice you as girlfriend material and just focus on being his friend for a while.” 

Marinette knew Alya was right, but loving Adrien came natural to her. It was habit, and breaking that habit meant finding another way to fill the time usually spent making said extravagant plans. The ache in her chest came as a small reminder of what she could feel in the future if she kept pushing herself toward an impossible feat, at least until she’s more comfortable around Adrien. If this feeling is what would haunt her after every failed confession, only to grow worse over the years, she didn’t _want_to feel it. 

Maybe being just friends with Adrien could be a good thing. Or, at least, less painful.

Marinette nodded slowly, more to herself than Alya, then reached up to hug her friend. “I think you’re right.”

Alya pulled back with a grin. “In that case, I do believe I was promised snacks earlier?” 

Marinette laughed with a roll of her eyes and stood, staring for her desk where a plate of croissants and cookies sat from earlier. “They’re probably not as fresh—“ 

A heavy thump on the floor behind her cut off her words and sent her spinning around in a panic. Wide-eyed, Marinette choked out a cry of, “Alya!” and dropped to her knees beside her convulsing friend. A scream tore itself from Marinette’s throat when a red blood trail dropped down Alya’s chin.

She clambered to her feet and dove for her trapdoor, yanking it open as fast as she could to shriek, “ _ Maman! _ ” She heard a frantic response and pounding footsteps heading for her room, but Marinette had other priorities. She stumbled to her purse, eyes locking onto Tikki’s concerned gaze as she fished out her phone and dialed an emergency number. “I need an ambulance!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: broccoli is actually a flower.
> 
> And the plot thickens. I swear this cliffhanger was an accident. I didn’t want the chapter to run too long, and this was the only stoping place I could find.


	4. A Lot Has Happened

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don’t kill me; I have yet to edit this, and there’s typos everywhere. It’s 3am (not surprising in the least), and I’m tired as hell, so I’ll do it tomorrow. Probably.

Marinette splashed her third handful of cold water into her face before finally turning off the sink. Unfortunately, the chill did nothing to distract her from her anxiety over her friend’s wellbeing. 

Her parents—along with Alya’s—sat impatiently in the hospital’s waiting room. They’d been here for two hours already, Alya’s mother wearing a hole in the tile with all her pacing, and Marinette couldn’t take it any longer. That, coupled with the smell of antiseptics giving her a migraine, pushed her to claim a bathroom break and get away for a few minutes. 

Her phone buzzed. She sighed, ready to reach into her purse, but Tikki beat her to it. She hovered between Marinette and the mirror with a cautious, concerned frown. Marinette gave her kwami a wry smile and took the offered device. “Thanks, Tikki.”

_ ** Nino ** _

_ 7:39p.m. _

_ I’m omw. Adrien’s dad won’t let him come so he’s sneaking out _

She blinked down at the screen. Adrien sneaking out? Marinette had always seen him as far too well-mannered and afraid of his father’s reaction to sneak out, and found a bitter laugh escape her throat at the thought. Alya was right; Marinette  _ did _ need to get to know Adrien better.

She shut the screen off and stuffed it in her purse, then spared a glance at her kwami to find her still frowning down at her chosen. “You’ve had that look on your face almost all day,” Marinette noted.

The frown depended. “A lot has happened today, Marinette. I’m worried about you.” 

Marinette gave a halfhearted shrug. She was scared for her friend, aching from the akuma’s touch, and so, so overwhelmed with everything happening lately, but she’d be okay. She was Ladybug. “I’m fine, Tikki. I’m more worried about Alya.”

“Marinette,” Tikki started, her gaze shifting to soft concern, “the akuma touched you. Is your chest still hurting?” 

A hand raised absentmindedly to brush against her heart. It did still hurt, but she didn’t want to think about what that might mean for her. “You think Alya’s seizure had something to do with the akuma attack?”

Tikki opened her mouth to respond, but never found the chance. 

Marinette doubled over as a stabbing pain shot through her chest, her throat burning and clogging with warm liquid. She slapped a hand over her mouth to muffle her violent coughs, wincing when she pulled it away to see crimson splotches in her balm.  _ Blood_. Her hands trembled at the sight. Alya had blood on her mouth, too.

“Marinette,” Tikki said warily, pulling Marinette’s palm so she could see the result of her coughing fit. “I don’t think that’s a coincidence.”

Marinette let out a long, shaky sigh. “I think you’re right, Tikki. What should I do?” 

“I think you should be seen by a doctor.”

Marinette turned toward the sink, twisting the knob for hot water and dousing her hand to clean it as best she could. “I’ll tell my parents after we find out if Alya’s okay.”

“Marinette,” Tikki said, the disapproval clear in her tone.

She shook her head. “I need to know Alya’s okay, first.”

Tikki sighed, reluctantly retreating back into Marinette’s purse. The latter wet a paper towel and wiped the red stain from her lips before heading back to the waiting room.

Nino sat beside Alya’s mom, most likely having just arrived. Marinette was about to greet him when the one of the double doors at the entrance slammed open to reveal none other than Adrien Agreste, leaning on his knees and panting for breath. “Oh my god, Adrien, are you okay?” 

He swallowed audibly and nodded. “I don’t have much time, but I wanted to make sure Alya was okay, so I ran here.” 

Leave it to Adrien to nearly injure himself to make sure a friend was okay. It was one of the qualities Marinette admired most about him, but she’d learn to admire them platonically. In time, anyway. “Do you want some water?”

“Yes, please,” he choked. 

As he took his seat beside Nino, Marinette made her way to the water dispenser, absently listening to the greetings behind her. Adrien was mid conversation with Nino when she returned with the paper cup, but their talking ceased when a man in a white coat approached the group. 

Mme. Césaire leapt from her seat with wide, hopeful eyes. “Is she okay? Is my baby okay?” 

The doctor raised his hands placatingly. “She’s fine right now, but she’s not out of the woods. The doctors couldn’t find a typical source to the seizure, so they took X-rays to determine the cause.” 

She felt rather than saw Adrien gently take the water from her hands, too focused on the conversation as he chugged. 

“And?” Mme. Césaire pressed. “What’s wrong?” 

The man shifted uncomfortably. “It appears she has—well, flowers growing in her lungs.” 

”_What?_“ She shrieked. “What do you mean she has—” 

Sabine stood, placing a small, reassuring hand on her friend’s bicep. Mme. Césaire took a deep, calming breath, before saying, “I’m sorry. Please, continue.”

“We think it’s related to the latest akuma.”

Marinette’s hand gripped the material at her chest. Why didn’t her Miraculous Cure work?

“But Ladybug used her cure,” Mme. Césaire argued, and Marinette flinched. “Shouldn’t that have fixed her?” 

The doctor’s face turned grim. “Your daughter isn’t the first victim we’ve had come in today with similar symptoms.”

“Other people are having seizures?”

“Not exactly. Other patients are showing signs of growth in their lungs. We believe the cause of your daughter’s seizure could be from the type of flower, but we won’t know for sure without more tests.” 

Mme. Césaire’s hand came to cover her mouth, eyes watering. “Have any of the other—have any of them died?” 

There was a hesitant pause, then, “Yes. Some flowers are toxic if ingested, and a few patients hadn’t received treatmemt in time.”

Marinette’s feet were moving on their own accord, backing away from the doctor and the distraught faces around her. Each word felt like a knife to her chest, a reminder that her Miraculous Cure failed. 

She vaguely heard Mme. Césaire’s crying as Marinette turned on her and fled through the large metal doors. The frosty autumn air enveloped her, helping to calm her racing heart.

She heard the snapping of her purse opening and looked down into Tikki’s wide, blue eyes, peering up at her with concern. “Marinette, this isn’t your fault.” When she didn’t receive a response, she frowned. “I’m serious. There was nothing you could have done to change this. The only thing you can do now is try to figure out why the miraculous cure didn’t stop this.” 

Tikki dropped down into the purse as the doors behind them opened, a familiar voice calling, “Marinette?” 

She closed her eyes, realizing with a start that she’d been crying. She tried to breathe and stop the tears from falling, but the gentle hand that found her shoulder made it harder to ignore the tornado of emotions pulsing through her. 

Slowly, gently, Adrien turned her around to face him, his own eyes softening at seeing the tears in hers. The hand on her shoulder found the back of his neck before he let out a heavy sigh, gave her an awkward smile, and opened his arms wide.

Marinette didn’t hesitate to fling herself into him, hands balling the front of his shirt in her fists and tears soaking the fabric as she sobbed. His arms wrapped tightly around her, his hands running up and down in a motion so familiar to her _Chaton_, it felt twice as soothing. 

When her crying finally ceased to small, occasional hiccups and whimpers, Adrien murmured, “The doctor said Alya’s awake, if you want to see her. He also said she can leave with her mom after a few more tests.”

She couldn’t bring herself to speak, so she gave a short nod instead. Adrien hesitantly released her and lead her back into the waiting room with a hand on her lower back. 

It took a while to get in to see Alya after her parents, but Marinette didn’t mind. It gave her time to clean herself up after her breakdown. It was nice to see Alya acting like her regular self, despite being a little out of it from the medication they gave her, and made Marinette feel a little better about the situation. 

Adrien was the first to leave, then Marinette and her parents. She assumed Nino would stay behind with Alya’s family until they could take her home—which the doctors said would be fine in a few hours.

Marinette headed straight to her room after she made it home, her parents sending her worried glanced but making no move to stop her. They knew she needed her space, even if they didn’t like it. Her mom brought her a mug of hot, calming herbal tea with a kiss to her head, then retreated down to the living room with her husband. 

Marinette wrapped a blanket around her shoulders, took a sip of tea, and headed to her balcony for some fresh air. 

“You’re going to catch a cold, Marinette. You’re already sick enough without adding congestion.”

The hero sighed. “I’m fine, Tikki. I just—I need the fresh air. It feels like I’m suffocating.” When Tikki’s eyes flashed with panic, Marinette immediately backtracked. “I don’t really feel like I’m suffocating. I’m sorry. I just don’t want to be cooped up inside right now.” 

The kwami’s shoulder’s slumped with relief. “Do you want to be alone?”

Marinette shook her head. Taking that as cue to snuggle, Tikki curled up beneath one of her chosen’s pigtails.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short, uneventful chapter. The next one will be more interesting, since we get to see everyone’s favorite kitty


	5. Heartbreak or Grief

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me just warn you now, I wrote the first half of this chapter like four weeks ago, and the rest tonight without looking over the first half. I also barely edited any of this, so it might be repetitive or dull.
> 
> I swear I’ll edit better later! It’s just late and I’m tired and figured you guys would rather have this chapter up sooner rather than later.

Chat guessed he shouldn’t have been surprised to find Marinette lounging on her balcony, shoulders tense with a steaming mug cradled in her palms and a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. 

Adrien hated having to leave her alone immediately after her breakdown at the hospital, but he couldn’t risk his father or Nathalie discovering he’d snuck out of his room. So, he decided to check up on her and make sure she wasn’t curled up in a distressed ball, crying herself to sleep, like he’d done plenty of times himself after his mother’s disappearance.

Marinette’s puffy, blue eyes raised to meet his just as he landed, but the charming greeting died on his lips. A sharp, stabbing pain pulsed through his chest, the breath left him in a rush, and his legs collapsed under him as he tried to land. He tumbled onto his knees, lungs burning as he coughed violently into a gloved hand, only to find a pool of red on the material when he pulled it away. 

Marinette rushed to his side, sinking to her knees as her hands shakily covered her mouth. “No,” she whimpered.

He gave her a watery smile and tried to hide his struggle to catch his breath. He pulled his hand from her view, hoping she didn’t see the blood. This wasn’t the first time he’d been thrown into a coughing fit since the akuma, and it was safe to assume it wouldn’t be the last. Unfortunately, he couldn’t fool Marinette, as her thumb darted out to wipe a trail of red from the corner of his lip. “Chat—“

He swallowed past the thick liquid in his throat and said, “It’s okay, Princess. Just a little cough.”

“It’s not okay!” she burst. “You were hit by the Akuma!” 

He frowned. As far as he knew, Alya’s only symptom of the attack was a seizure, not coughing up blood. Marinette hadn’t left the bakery during the attack, so there no way she could’ve known he was hit by the akuma, unless—

Panic flared through him like a wildfire. Marinette was supposed to stay home. Did she leave the bakery during the akuma attack? No. He needed to calm down and think rationally. At the hospital, the doctors were talking about other victims, right? Did they mention the other victims coughing up blood? He couldn’t remember, but he did get there way later than Marinette had. 

Still, he needed to know for sure. “Marinette,” he said, dread pooling in his stomach at the way she stiffened, “how did you know I was hit by the akuma?” 

His last, little ray of hope died out when she winced, her eyes averting guiltily from his own. Marinette  _ had _ left the bakery during the attack. She was infected. 

His clean hand found her jaw, raising it so she was forced to look at him. “We need to get you to a hospital.” 

She shook her head adamantly. “Chat, I’m fine. It was only a little blood.”

The image of her coughing up blood made his heart ache. Was she alone when it happened? Did she even know what was happening to her? He saw the look on Alya’s face when that akuma touched her, and it could’ve been worse if Chat hadn’t stopped Crysanthe-Mom when he did. Was anyone there to help Marinette? “It is  _not _fine. I know what happened to Alya. Certain flowers are toxic and you need to be checked out by a doctor in case you’re in danger.” 

Her steely gaze locked onto his, a battle of wills, before she let out a soft sigh. “You’re not going to stop until I agree, are you?” 

_ Dieu merci_._ _ He let his hand fall to his lap, a small, relieved smile gracing his face. “No,  _Purr_incess, I’m not.”

“Fine, but only if you come inside for some tea. It’ll help soothe your throat.” She shivered as the wind picked up, then nodded her head toward her skylight. “Let’s go inside. It’s cold out here.”

Marinette lead him through her trapdoor by his hand, gathering her comforter and pulling it over them as they laid side-by-side on her chaise. They didn’t say much, Chat too carried away in his thoughts while Marinette watched him silently. They didn’t touch, but the space between them was so thin even the slightest movement would brush one against the other. 

Chat’s mind was a flurry of fears. He was infected, along with his lady, Marinette, and Alya, three of his closest friends. Had Nino been infected? Chloé? The rest of his classmates? The thought made his stomach roll violently. 

He couldn’t wrap his head around how Marinette wound up infected. Chat didn’t remember the akuma coming anywhere near the bakery, so Marinette must’ve left the house sometime after he’d transformed. Even still, the time frame was slim, so how could she have made it back so fast before Adrien, Nino, and Alya arrived?

His chest ached and burned with the reminder of Crystanthe-Mom’s touch. He’d been running for Ladybug after her fall when the akuma shot forward, her hand grazing his arm in the lightest of featherlight touches, but still enough to steal his breath and leave him with an ache he hoped he’d never feel again after his mother’s disappearance. It felt like slamming into a brick wall, with an added wave of crushing despair washing over him. 

His left cat ear twitched when Marinette raised her hand, gently rubbing the top of the leather between two fingers, before sliding her fingertips down along the outer edge. A shiver raced down Chat’s spine at the contact and his eyes fluttered closed, all thoughts of the akuma drifting away. He knew the purr stuttering uneavenly from his throat was uneven and much too loud, but it nearly eased the ache in his chest from the akuma’s touch. 

“Thats your comfort purr,” Marinette murmured. “You’re upset.” 

His eyes widened. He supposed he shouldn’t have been so surprised by the observation, especially with how much time they’d been spending together as of late. He’d had a big fight with his father a few months ago and wound up running across the rooftops to blow off some steam when he saw her, lounging on her balcony with a cup of hot chocolate and a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. He’d dropped down to talk for a while, remembering the last time he’d landed on her balcony for a late-night chat, knowing she would be a positive influence on his otherwise shitty day.

About a week later, after his father forced him to cancel long-awaited plans with friends for a last minute photo shoot, Chat Noir found his feet dropping on the cool, metal railing once again. It wasn’t long until he started visiting frequently in secret, until her mother walked in on Chat standing in a T-pose with one of Marinette’s male designs draped over his suit. His heart had nearly stopped in his chest, waiting for the inevitable anger and dissapointment in the small woman’s eyes, but it never came. Instead, a soft laugh bubbles free from her chest at the sight before her, and she invited him to stay for dinner. 

From then on, it was a sort of tradition for Chat to come over for dinner on the weekends, until the weekends turned into whenever he had the free time to escape his prison of a home. 

Marinette continued to trace her fingers along the edge of his cat ears before slipping them back into his hair and scratching gently at his scalp. “What’s on your mind, Kitty?” 

A heavy sigh left his chest, but it did little to relieve the ache. He lifted a clawed hand and gently splayed it above her heart, hoping he was the only one, but knowing that was too much to ask form the universe. “Do you feel it, too?” 

Her eyes took on a softer edge as she watched him. He almost expected to see pity in their depths, but instead it felt more like empathy. He knew the answer even before she uttered a whispered, “Yes.”

“I’ve felt it before, you know.”

Her bluebell eyes widened. “Heartbreak?” 

His laugh was all too bitter. “It’s heartbreak? Heartbreak feels a lot like grief.”

Her lips parted, but no sound came out. He didn’t really expect much of a response after such a loaded statement. 

“I felt it when I lost my mom,” he explained. “It’s like there’s a weight on my chest and a hole at the same time, one I can’t seem to fill with anything.” He blinked through the tears building behind his eyes. He reminded himself he wasn’t alone anymore, that he had Ladybug, Marinette, Alya, and Nino now. When he felt a little more composed, he took a breath and quietly admitted, “I don’t want to feel it anymore.” 

She pulled him close and he tucked his face into her neck, her chin resting gently on the top of his head. His arms wrapped tightly around her back, tail winding around her calf—without his consent, of course—and relished in her silent comfort and warmth. He wished he could stay like this all night, instead of the few hours they had before he was forced to retreat to his empty room. If he stayed, he knew he would be caught, and those were consequences he wasn’t ready to deal with.

“It’s okay, Chat,” she whispered, her gentle scratches never relenting. “You’re not alone anymore.” 

His head shook, eyes clenched shut to  _ fight the tears, don’t let them through_. “I don’t want you to feel this. You’re too good.” 

She let out a small, breathy laugh. “Good?” 

“Good,” he confirmed. “You shouldn’t ever have to deal with grief or heartache, and yet, here you are.” In a much smaller voice, more to himself than to her, he asked, “Where was I?” 

He should’ve been there to stop her from getting hit. Nobody could explain what was happening to them, how to fix it, or why Ladybug’s Cure didn’t work, and for all he knew, everybody infected could die tomorrow. The thought was unnerving, to say the least. 

Marinette pulled back to look at him, her expression determined. “Chat Noir, you listen to me. This was not your fault. I was infected because I didn’t stay in my house like I should have, not because of anything you did or didn’t do.” Her eyes narrowed when he didn’t respond. “Do you believe me?”

It took him a while to convince himself she was right and fight the inkling of doubt plaguing his mind. He needed to stay with Ladybug during the fight, as is his duty. If he was going to blame himself for anything, it should be for not making it to his partner quick enough to take that hit for her, but he knew better. He knew Ladybug would put him is place if he started thinking something like that, so he nodded to show Marinette he believed her. 

“Don’t beat yourself up over things you have no control over.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! Here’s some Marichat!
> 
> Okay, so there’s two things I want to mention here.
> 
> 1) I do not condone holding in your tears when you’re upset. It is 100% okay to cry when you feel like you need to, and it really does help more than you think to let those feelings out. The only reason Chat didn’t want to cry is because he’d done enough crying over his mom since she left, and he wanted to be strong for Marinette so she didn’t have to be (even though she wound up being the strong one for the night).
> 
> 2) I’M SORRY IT’S SO ANGSTY! I swear, I’m trying to keep it from being too angsty, but it’s really hard to manage that given the circumstances. The reason it’s so angsty right now is because everyone’s taking the time to absorb exactly what’s going on and deal with it emotionally, but it WILL NOT STAY THAT WAY. There will be plenty of fluff and friendship in this fic, and despite what you’d think, there won’t be bodies dropping everywhere. The mood will improve soon, even though this is a relatively serious fic.


	6. That’s More Like It

Adrien was pleased the next day to find Marinette absent from their morning class. He hoped she’d taken this time to get herself checked out at the hospital, and figured he must be right when she showed up just before the start of Mlle. Bustier’s class. 

She took her seat next to Alya—who’d been recovering smoothly since her seizure and had yet to have another one—and immediately slumped. 

Alya’s smile was sympathetic. “That bad, huh?”

Adrien and Nino twisted in their seats to join the conversation, also curious about how her check-up had gone. Adrien’s nerves were on fire with the thought of kind, sweet, beautiful Marinette having a seizure and possibly dying. 

Marinette winced. “The flowers are Morning Glories.”

Alya’s eyes opened wide. “Oh.” 

_ Oh? _ What did that mean? Adrien couldn’t remember having that flower on his list for the project, so he assumed Marinette or Alya must’ve had it in theirs. 

Nino beat him to the punch. “What? Why ‘oh’?” 

Marinette let out a loud groan as her head thumped down against the desk.

Alya adjusted her glasses and spared Marinette the trouble of explaining. “The seeds from Morning Glories can cause hallucinations if ingested.” 

_ Oh_. 

“Oh,” Nino said. 

“Yeah,” Marinette muttered, turning her head to the side so they could hear her better. She waved her hand in the air unceremoniously. “So far, nothing’s happened, but that doesn’t mean nothing will.” 

Alya and Nino continued the conversation, but Adrien was lost in his own concerning thoughts. What if he or Ladybug had a hallucinogenic flower? He knew for a fact Ladybug had been touched by the akuma, but he hadn’t spoken to her since the attack. If one of them were in battle or vaulting across rooftops, it could be dangerous for them to have hallucinations that could potentially cause injury. He swallowed thickly. 

“Any theories on why there are flowers growing in your chest?” Nino asked Alya, caching Adrien’s attention. He’d shove away his concerns for now, at least until he had the chance to speak with Ladybug about the situation. “I heard that a lot of people who were touched by the akuma had no after effects.” 

Alya shrugged, but avoided eye contact. Adrien shared a knowing look with Nino. Alya knew something, and was keeping it to herself. 

Marinette evidently didn’t notice Alya’s unwillingness to answer because she blurted out, “Unrequited love.” Three sets of eyes snapped to her, only to find her staring down at her hands. “When the akuma touched me, she said ‘your love is unrequited’.” 

Nino’s attention snapped to Alya’s guilty expression, and the reason for her secrecy clicked in Adrien’s mind. If Alya and Nino were together, who was Alya’s unrequited love?

“You love somebody else?” Nino asked weakly. 

She winced. “Can we talk about this later?” 

Nino continued to gape in shocked silence at her unspoken confirmation. He nodded slowly, then turned to face the front with a thoughtful but pinched expression. Adrien felt tempted to apologize—for what, he wasn’t sure—but decided it was better off to leave the situation alone. If Nino wanted to talk, he’d find Adrien when he was ready. 

Just then, Mlle. Bustier entered the room with a grim face, completely different from her usually positive attitude. “Hello, students. Today, the mayor would like us teachers to speak to you about the most recent akuma attack.” 

Adrien caught Nino’s eye, more than likely sharing the same thoughts. This couldn’t be good. 

A violent cough toward the back of the room grabbed half the class’ attention. Adrien turned to find Kim hunched over his desk with a tissue pressed against his mouth, unsurprised to find it stained red when pulled away. Evidently, not everyone knew of the akuma’s affects yet, as several students gasped and gasped at the sight before them. 

“Kim, you’re bleeding!” Alix cried.

Mlle. Bustier cleared her throat, successfully regaining the attention of the class. “That’s actually what I’d like to talk about. It seems the akuma has sent out what the doctors are referring to as an infection—or disease—that’s causing flowers to grow in the lungs of anyone the akuma had been in contact with.”

Chloé scoffed, unsurprisingly. “That’s ridiculous. Ladybug used her miraculous cure, and it always works.”

“Unfortunately, not this time.” She turned her attention to the room. “We’ve been told to encourage any student who has come into contact with the akuma, or has begun coughing up fluids, to inform your parents or staff and see a doctor as soon as possible. Many species of flowers are toxic if ingested, and your life could be at risk if not properly treated. Is anyone in here having symptoms?” 

Kim, Nathanaël, Juleka, Lila, Marinette, and Alya raised their hands, and after a second of hesitation, Adrien raised his own. A small, barely audibly gasp behind him made his heart clench guiltily in his chest. Not only had he made Marinette worry for Chat Noir, but now she was concerned for Adrien. 

“_Dude_ ,” Nino whispered in disbelief.

“If any of you think you need to see the nurse, let me or your other teachers know immediately,” Mlle. Bustier continued. “We’ve all been informed to treat this as an emergency situation and will get you anything you need. In the meantime, we’ll be continuing class as usual. Are there any questions?” When nobody spoke up, she nodded. “I need to step out for a moment, but I’ll be back soon.” 

Once the door clicked behind her, the silence broke. 

Kim twisted in his seat to face Alya. “I heard you guys talking about this disease. Any theories why we have it? I heard of a few people who were touched didn’t get sick.” 

“The akuma said something about unrequited love,” Adrien answered. Marinette sent him a grateful smile for not making her repeat herself, then shifted her gaze back to her shuffling hands. Alya leaned over to whisper something in hushed tones with a sad look on her face, but before Adrien had the chance to dwell on what she could’ve said, Chloé laughed.

“We all know who Marinette’s unrequited little crush is,” she taunted, the smile on her face anything but friendly. 

“Shut up, Chloé,” Alix snapped. “What do you know about love?” 

Chloé harrumphed and raised her chin a notch. “I’m not like  you people. I was touched by the akuma and nothing happened, so that obviously means everyone loves me.” 

“Or you only love yourself,” Marinette grumbled.

“What did you just say, Dupain-Cheng?” 

Marientte puffed her cheeks in frustration and opened her mouth to retort, but clamped it shut when Mlle. Bustier reentered the room. She slumped in her seat, cheeks flushed as she silently fumed. 

Mlle. Bustier started class, discussing their flower projects and how they should pay extra close attention to what they’re studying, as information about their selective flowers could be important, and leaning to identity your flower could save the lives of those who have yet to be checked by a doctor. 

Adrien’s attention was torn from the lecture by Nino leaning to the side and whispering, “I never thought I’d see the day a girl didn’t love my bro. Especially right before Valentines Day.” 

Adrien laughed quietly, relieved his friend could find humor in the situation. It helped him see the light in his own, and reminded him that he and Ladybug could fix this. They could fix anything. “What can I say? I’m a ladies man.” 

Alya snorted behind him. “Obviously not. The flowers do mean it’s unrequited, pretty boy.” 

His heart skipped a beat as a sudden, crushing realization hit him.  _I’m going to die because she doesn’t love me_. 

Alya’s face fell and she quickly backtracked, raising her hands placatingly between them. “Woah, Adrien, I was just kidding.” Her faze softened. “You really like this girl, don’t you?” 

He sighed, shoving the panic inducing thought aside to revel in the way he felt about her. “Yeah, I do.” 

Nino finally asked he question everyone was thinking, but nobody would say. “What if . . . what if the love is never requited? Does it go away if it is?” 

Nobody answered. 

Nino looked between his three infected friends and swallowed. In a strained voice barely above a whisper, he asked, “What if the flowers keep growing?” 

It was Marinette who broke the heavy silence with an even heavier answer. “I don’t know.” 

When Adrien slipped into the car after his driver showed up that evening, his mind was full of  _ what-ifs_. What if she never loved him back? What if the flowers kept growing? What if the love was returned? Would it go away, or would the citizens of Paris still be infected, bringing him back to the question of _ what if the flowers keep growing?_ The thoughts trampled over each other in his mind like a broken record, repetitive and never ending. 

“Adrien,” Nathalie addressed him, thankfully yanking him from his inner turmoil. “Are you okay?”

He nodded. “Just lost in thought.” 

Her cold eyes softened, flashing with concern so fast he nearly missed it. “Did you come in contact with the recent akuma?” 

He opened his mouth to answer that yes, he most certainly had been touched by the akuma, but the only word that left his mouth was a firm, “No.”

They pulled up to the gate, stopping only long enough for the doors to open before coming to a stop inside. Nathalie straightened the tablet and files in her lap before adjusting her glasses. “Very well. Let me know immediately if you express any symptoms.”

His smile was forced. “I will.” 

He didn’t waist any time crawling out of the car and heading directly to his bedroom. He sagged against the door after it clicked shut, his bag falling to the floor beside him.

Plagg phased from his shirt to hover before him, his little arms crossed firmly over his chest. “Why did you lie to Nathalie about your symptoms?” 

Adrien laughed bitterly. “Are you kidding me? Father would pull me from school in a heartbeat and smother me with doctors.” 

“Maybe that’s not such a bad thing, kid.” Plagg’s stern expression shifted to one of genuine concern, his arms dropping to his sides. Just the fact that he hadn’t gone straight for the cheese showed Adrien how serious he was about the subject, but there wasn’t much he could do. “This is serious. The bug’s cure didn’t fix this, and your teacher was right about needing to know what kind of flower is growing inside you.” 

Adrien groaned and slumped toward the bed. “I know, Plagg, but I want to talk to Ladybug, first. What if this is incurable? I can’t spend the rest of my life, however long that might be, cooped up in this room.” 

“Adrien might be cooped up, but Chat Noir wouldn’t be.” 

Adrien shook his head and flopped down onto his back, his arms spread out beside him. He stared at his blank ceiling and decided he definitely didn’t want to stare at that for the rest of his potentially short life, however long that may be. “That’s the thing, Plagg. Chat Noir  _ would _ be cooped up. Father won’t let me out of his sight if he finds out I’m sick. Ladybug would be alone fighting akuma with her own infection, and I would waste away in solitude.” 

Plagg groaned. “Okay, okay, you win. Do we have any cheese?” 

_ That’s more like it. _ “Fridge.” 

No more than a second later, Adrien heard the distant sound of the fridge door opening and slamming shut. 

Adrien glanced around the room for some form on entertainment before checking the time on his phone. He was pleased to find it nearly time to meet his lady, and didn’t feel bad in the slightest to make Plagg transformation early. He leaned up on his emblows, watching the kwami caress a triangle of cheese lovingly. “I need to see Ladybug.” 

Plagg‘s eyes bulged. “But the  _ cheese_—“

“Plagg, claws out!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God, I can barely keep my eyes open.
> 
> On a side note, please make sure you’re cleaning your hands and keeping a 6ft minimum distance from others! The distance rule isn’t just for your protection, but the protection of everyone around you. 
> 
> Somebody you touch could have touched somebody else, who touched somebody else, who touched somebody else, who—
> 
> You get the point. Don’t get Corona!


	7. Knight in Shining Leather

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Important Notice!
> 
> I’ve decided to bump the rating to Mature for the health complications of some of the characters, like Alya’s seizure in past chapters and characters coughing up blood. 
> 
> As of right now, characters’ romantic interactions are still Teen+ but I may decide to change that later since I’ve already bumped the rating. If I decide to, I’ll make another announcement at the beginning of a figure chapter.

Chat Noir vaulted across the rooftops until his feet settled down on the cold metal of the Eiffel Tower, before scaling his way to the top and dropping down on a railing. Once settled with his feet folded beneath him, he pulled out his baton and dialed up his partner. 

It rang for a while, before ultimately giving him her recorded voicemail they’d made together months ago on a rooftop after a nasty akuma attack. They’d both needed some cheeri up, and the subject gave them both a laugh as they bet who could make the silliest recording. Chat could confidently call that one of the best days of his life, watching her smile like that.

He tried her yo-yo three more times before putting the baton away with a long sigh. She must not have been transformed.

With nothing else to do in the meantime, Chat Noir made a V-line for his Princess’ balcony. He spotted her from a few rooftops over, standing outside the front door to the bakery with a coat wrapped single around her, arms tucked beneath her armpits for warmth. He knew it was getting colder as they neared the beginning of winter, but he thought the massive coat looked a little too warm for the current weather.

Chat Noir whipped out his baton and Lori pellet him to land right beside her, delighting in her loud squawk of surprise. He quickly shot out an arm to wrap around her waist when she pin wheeled backwards, pulling securely against his chest, Cheshire grin spread across his face as her cheeks flushed with anger. “Chat Noir! You scared the hell out of me!” 

A laugh bubbled out of him as she singled her way out of his arms and crossed her poofy arms across her chest, struggling slightly with the thickness of her coat sleeves. “This knight would never let his Princess fall.” 

She rolled her eyes and tries to keep a pouty lip, but ultimately gave up with a small smile when he gave her his kitten eyes. Her hand reached out to scratch behind his ear, and it took everything in him to hold in the purr that demanded to be let out. “Are you staying for dinner?”

He shook his head. “I was hoping to find Ladybug, but I can’t get a hold of her. Figured I’d drop in and say hi before I went home.” 

Marinette’s eyebrows pinched together with her frown. “Ladybug? What’s so urgent? Don’t you have a joint patrol this week?” 

“We need to talk about the akuma attack,” he explained. “She was infected.” 

Her expression shifted to something he couldn’t quite decipher as she questioned, “How do you know she was infected?” 

Chat opened his mouth to explain he’d watched the akuma touch her, but snapped it shut when he understood Marinette’s question. Just because the akuma had touched Ladybug, didn’t mean she was infected. He thought through his answer carefully. “She loves somebody else. I guess I’m not really sure if that love is unrequited, but I still want to make sure she’s okay. She’s my partner.” 

Marientte nodded her understanding and took a step closer, lacing her arm through his and tucking her hands into her coat pockets. Barely a second later, her head thumped into his shoulder. “Is she your—“ 

Marinette’s arm jerked from its place interlocked with his as she doubled over, rough, wet coughs tearing through her lungs. She yanked a tissue from her pocket and slammed it over her mouth, and Chat found himself crouching beside her as panic overtook him. “Are you okay?” He asked when she composed herself, his hand tracing soothing circles over her lower back.

Marinette nodded, pulling the tissue away from her mouth and winced at the scarlet staining the sheet before balling it up and stuffing it in her pocket. Once she caught her breath, she cast him a small smile and let him help straighten her up. “Thanks, Kitty,” she said, shivering from the cold. “I should probably head back inside.” 

Chat reluctantly let his hand drop from her back. “Me, too. Will you be okay?” 

“A little sickness isn’t going to bring me down,” she teased with an affectionate tap to his nose. He wanted to smile at the action, but the knots of anxiety twisted themselves tighter at her words. _It’s not a little sickness,_ he thought. _It’s a life threatening disease_. He swallowed and forcefully shut down that line of thought. Worrying incessantly about her health wouldn’t help her. Talking to Ladybug and figuring out how to fix this would.

With a half-hearted smile he hoped she couldn’t see through, he raised his hand in a quick salute and pulled his baton from behind his back, readying it to leap into the air.

“Wait!” she called, so he did, turning back to face her expectantly. Her cheeks flushed a soft pink. “I just—um, you should try calling Ladybug again. Maybe you’ll have better luck this time?”

His smile was a little more genuine this time around. “Thanks, Princess,” he said warmly, and extended his baton toward the nearest rooftop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who’s gonna be a new mama! 
> 
> (Hint: it’s me.)
> 
> Anyways, sorry for all the late updates. I’m coming up on 19 weeks, and I have had zero writing inspiration during the _entire pregnancy._ It sucks. So, as a reward, here’s some mildly fluffy Marichat teasing.


End file.
